This invention is generally directed to liquid developer compositions and, in particular, to liquid developers with polar organic additives with dielectric constants of 20 to 150 and preferably 30 to 100, including organic cyclic carbonates, amides, and cyclic sulfones and cyclic sulfoxides. The developers of the present invention can be selected for a number of known imaging and printing systems, such as xerographic processes, wherein latent images are rendered visible with the liquid developer illustrated herein. The image quality, solid area coverage and resolution for developed images usually require sufficient toner particle electrophoretic mobility. The mobility for effective image development is primarily dependent on the imaging system used. The electrophoretic mobility is primarily directly proportional to the charge on the toner particles and inversely proportional to the viscosity of the liquid developer fluid. A 10 to 30 percent change in fluid viscosity caused, for instance, by a 5.degree. to 15.degree. C. decrease in temperature could result in a decrease in image quality, poor image development and background development, for example, because of a 5 percent to 23 percent decrease in electrophoretic mobility. Insufficient particle charge can also result in poor transfer of the toner to paper or other final substrates. Poor or unacceptable transfer can result in, for example, poor solid area coverage if insufficient toner is transferred to the final substrate and can also lead to image defects such as smears and hollowed fine features. To overcome or minimize such problems, the liquid toners of the present invention were arrived at after extensive research efforts, and which toners result in, for example, sufficient particle charge for transfer and maintain the mobility within the desired range of the particular imaging system employed. Advantages associated with the present invention include increase of the liquid toner particle charge and an increase in the liquid toner particle charging rate. The toner charging rate refers to the increase in toner particle charge with time after charge director is added.
A slow charging rate can result in poor print quality, particularly background printing may result if the charging rate is too slow. When prints or developed copies are generated shortly after increasing the developer charge director concentration, for example, within 10 minutes thereof insufficiently rapid toner charging would result in a large concentration of neutral toner which develops out as background in the print. The additives of this invention improve the charging rate to such an extent that background printing would not occur when prints are generated 1 minute after increasing the developer charge director concentration.
A latent electrostatic image can be developed with toner particles dispersed in an insulating nonpolar liquid. The aforementioned dispersed materials are known as liquid toners or liquid developers. A latent electrostatic image may be produced by providing a photoconductive layer with a uniform electrostatic charge and subsequently discharging the electrostatic charge by exposing it to a modulated beam of radiant energy. Other methods are also known for forming latent electrostatic images such as, for example, providing a carrier with a dielectric surface and transferring a preformed electrostatic charge to the surface. After the latent image has been formed, it is developed by colored toner particles dispersed in a nonpolar liquid. The image may then be transferred to a receiver sheet.
Useful liquid developers can comprise a thermoplastic resin and a dispersant nonpolar liquid. Generally, a suitable colorant, such as a dye or pigment, is also present. The colored toner particles are dispersed in a nonpolar liquid which generally has a high volume resistivity in excess of 10.sup.9 ohm-centimeters, a low dielectric constant, for example below 3.0, and a high vapor pressure. Generally, the toner particles are less than 10 microns in diameter as measured with the Horiba Capa 700 Particle Size Analyzer.
Since the formation of proper images depends, for example, on the difference of the charge between the toner particles in the liquid developer and the latent electrostatic image to be developed, it has been